Wednesday, 21 April 1852
in Broomspring Lane, Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire
[registered in Ecclesall Bierlow, June 1852].Educated in Sheffield
and Gainford, Darlington.

Baptism

30 May 1852 at
St. Mary's Church, Sheffield

According to the 1861 census,
Willm. E., is the second of three children, including older brother John
C., living with their widowed
father, William Johnson (his mother, Mary had died sometime before
1861) at 129 Cemetery Road in Ecclesall Bierlow,
Sheffield, with one servant.His father is a Rate Collector.

According to the 1871 census,
William E. is the second eldest of six children, including John C., after
his solicitor father remarried to Asenath. Along with two servants, they live at 138
Victoria Road in Ecclesall Bierlow.

First marriage

to
Viola Carr,5 August 1873 at St John the
Evangelist Church, East Dulwich. [registered
in Camberwell, London, September 1873]. Viola died 1910 [registered in Worksop, September 1910].
Secondly to Lucy A. Jonas (née Earle),
the widow of Sir Joseph Jonas
[registered Ecclesall Bierlow, in December 1922].

According to the 1881 census,
is a married solicitor, to Viola, with three children, Ernest Wm, Maud
Violet and Cecil Edwin. They have two servants and they live at 34
Crescent Road in Ecclesall Bierlow.

According to the 1891 census,
William E. is still a married solicitor with three children,
living at 6 Broomgrove Road in Ecclesall Bierlow with two servants.

According to the 1901 census,
Ald[erman] Wm E, is still married to Viola, and together with just two
servants, they live at Loxley House in Ecclesfield, still in Sheffield.

According to the 1911 census,
William Edwin is now a widower, and remains a solicitor. He is visiting
his daughter Maud and her family (she is now married to Ernest John
Walthew) at Green Moor on Carlisle Road in Buxton.

Monday, 22 August 1932
at Trevethicks nursing home, Broomhall Place, Sheffield,aged
80 years
123 days [registered
in Ecclesall Bierlow, September 1932].The funeral took place on 24 August 1932 with a service at
Sheffield Cathedral, at 11.15am, followed by his internment at Fulwood
Churchyard.Left £8141 16s. in his will.

"Sir William Clegg, of Sheffield,
desires to express his appreciation of the many kind inquiries made in
regard to his illness. He is satisfied with his progress, but it will be
some time before he is able to resume his public duties. In the meantime
he will have to cancel all his public engagements. Upon making an early
morning inquiry to-day at the nursing home where Sir WIlliam is a patient
we were informed that he was resting nicely and that his condition was
about the same." - Friday, 10 June 1932, Sheffield Daily
Telegraph."On inquiry at the nursing home in Sheffield,
early this morning the Sheffield Telegraph was informed that the doctor is
slightly more satisfied with the condition of Sir William Clegg. Sir
William was not quite so well on Saturday." - Monday, 13 June
1932, Sheffield Daily Telegraph."Sir William Clegg
yesterday passed a fairly comfortable day, and his condition late last
night was reported to be about the same" - This same report,
with a variation of wording, was repeated almost on a daily occurrence
between Thursday, 16 June 1932 and Wednesday, 17 August 1932, Sheffield
Daily Telegraph.

Obituary

"DEATH
OF SIR WILLIAM CLEGG."The death occurred
early this morning, in a nursing home, after a short illness, of Sir
William Clegg, who was 80 years of age. By his passing Sheffield loses one
of its most famous citizens, a man who, over a long period of years,
wielded immense influence in the city. For 40 years he was a member of the
city council, of which he was leader for a long time, and in this capacity
it may be truly said that he was all-powerful. No leader had ever held the
position with greater authority."His municiapl activities were
manifold. He was distinguished as chairman of the Education Committee and
of the Tramways Committee for man years, and he held a prominent position
in many other spheres of public work, notably as Pro-Chancellor of
Sheffield University, of which he was a founder, as head of the Town
Trust, as a Justice of the Peace for both Sheffield and the (Sheffield)
West Riding (being chairman of the latter Bench); and chairman of the
Sheffield Licensing Justices. "Born in 1852, William Edwin Clegg,
after an excellent schooling in Sheffield and at Gainford, Darlington,
reached adolescence―about 1870―in times when many important public
questions were being debated. In his early years, a prominent sportsman,
mainly as a player, Sir William was, at the time of his death, a director
of the Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and a vice-president of the
Sheffield and Hallamshire County F.A.. He represented Sheffield against
London and Glasgow, the earliest inter-city fixtures to be arranged, while
in 1873 he played for England against Scotland, and six years later
attained a further international cap against Wales. Like his brother, Sir
WIlliam was a fine runner, and won a big number of events on the track.
His prowess at cricket is illustrated by his selection among the 22 of the
Sheffield Shrewsbury Club to play the All-England eleven."Sir William
was a widower. His first wife died in 1910, and he subsequently married
the widow of Sir Joseph Jonas, who died in 1929. He leaves one son, Mr.
Ernest W. Clegg, and one daughter, Mrs. Hadow, of
Salcombe,
Devonshire, whos first husband, Lieutenant-Colonel E, J, Walthew, M.C., of
Bakewell, was killed in the war in May, 1918." - Monday, 22 August 1932, Sheffield Daily Telegraph.

"SIR
WILLIAM CLEGG. ―Leading Sheffield Citizen Dead. ―LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE."We
regret to announce the death, yesterday, of Sir William Clegg, who had
been ill since the early part of June. The news of the loss of one who for
so many years had taken a leading part in Sheffield affairs was received
throughout the city with deepest regret. An account of his numerous
activities in various spheres, and particularly in municipal government,
will be found on page 5." - Tuesday, 23 August 1932,
Sheffield Daily Telegraph

Funeral

Wednesday, 24 August 1932.
Started with a service at
Sheffield Cathedral, at 11.15am, followed by his internment at Fulwood
Churchyard. Left £8141 16s. in his will.

Source

Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

PlayingCareer

Club(s)

Besides
Sheffield Club, Clegg played for other clubs in the area. Wednesday
FC, Perseverance FC, Sheffield Albion FC and Norfolk. He also
assisted Sheffield FA in representative matches. Retired through
injury January 1880.

Club honours

None

Individual honours

None

Distinctions

None

Height/Weight

not known

Source

Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]

Younger brother
of Charlie Clegg.
This Clegg was the last surviving member of the 1873 team.

Beyond England

After retiring from football through
injury he continued within the game as an administrator and would become
president of Sheffield Wednesday and vice president of Sheffield and
Hallamshire Football Association. He also went on to have a successful
political career becoming leader of Sheffield City Council for many years
and Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 1893-99. He became known as 'the uncrowned
king of Sheffield'. William was knighted in 1906, and OBE in
1918. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who.
Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.67.

The Numbers

Parties

Appearances

Minutes

Goals

Goals
Ave. min.

Captain

2

2

150

0 min

none

none

The minutes here
given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only
an approximation.

Some tales suggest that Clegg turned up 20 minutes late for
the game. He was working late on a case (the trial of
Charlie Peace, the Banner Cross murderer) and unable to leave Sheffield for
London on the Friday night. The next morning, the southbound train
with Clegg on it, was delayed by heavy snow. - There are no newspaper
reports to confirm this - and if it was true, why didn't the reserve play?